Drops of Jupiter
by Elmo13
Summary: When a fresh out of college Katniss moves to Boston for the summer, she really just wants time to find herself again, and figure her life out. Gale is worried that the love of his life is slipping away. Peeta's life is already figured out, but did he ever really forget about the girl with the chocolate braid and grey eyes?
1. Prologue

**Hi to all, I found myself totally addicted to The Hunger Games and realized I just had to write a fic about it. It's been a while since I wrote a fic purely to get something out of my system. I just thought of it 2 weeks ago and decided to go for it. As I want this to be quick and not lose focus, I'll be posting every week on Thursdays until it's done. Maybe I'll post more often if I see people are waiting. **

**The rating is T for now. It's an AU Modern day. I'm trying to stay as true to the characters as I can. Please review, it's worth the time. **

**Drops of Jupiter**

**Prologue - Wonderwall**

I chew my cereals loudly as I stare at the engagement ring in front of me. It's sitting there, all round and sparkly on its green velvet bed, nagging me.

I bought it a month ago and still haven't found the perfect moment to give it to my girlfriend, Delly. I probably should have brought one of her sister with me to choose it, but I know they are all lousy secrets keepers. So, I had to settle for Annie, my brother's girlfriend. It's not that she's doesn't have good taste, it's just that she is about as different from Delly as two people can be.

Maybe I'm not finding the right moment because it's not the right ring?

I scoff at myself: _"No, it's beautiful, you're just letting Finn get to you." _

Finn is my brother, and has made his feelings about this engagement perfectly clear: he doesn't like it.

I look at the ring again. I have to give it to her tonight.

I'm running out of time, because she's leaving for Paris tomorrow with her parents, and I really want to give it to her before she goes. Not that I'm afraid that the two months apart will put our relationship in jeopardy if I don't, but because I want to "seal the deal" and get Finn off my back.

I clean up after myself quickly, knowing I still have to go buy everything I need for Delly's going away party. I overslept because I catered at a wedding last night at the edge of town, and got home at an unmentionable hour. I still have four hours before I need to be at her place.

I shouldn't be nervous. I know she will be over-the-moon happy, it almost makes me forget the nagging voice in my brain, weirdly resembling my brother's, that tells me this is a really big decision, and that I'm still a bit young.

I know this is the logical next step. We're both 23, we've been together for three years, she finished school last month and I have a steady job. Plus, her family is really conventional, and a formal engagement is the only way for us to live together in the fall with their consent. And I really want that.

So, why can't I manage to give her the stupid ring? Why did I wait? Now, I'll have to do it during or right after supper at her place, before the party, because I know it will be filled with people and definitely not a good place to give it to her.

Plus, our new roommate was moving in this afternoon, and I'd offered to help Finn move his furniture downstairs before she arrived, since he was switching rooms. He and his girlfriend were always in his bedroom doing the obvious, and so loudly I might add, sharing a wall was becoming awkward. I was looking forward to the peace and quiet.

I groan out loud, _"How will I ever manage to do all of that in four hours? The furniture, the groceries, the party setup, the getting ready for proposing..."_

I decide to pick up the pace and open Finn's door widely. "Finn, get up, let's do this thing."

"God man, it's so early," he moans groggily, his head barely moving in my direction.

"It's two o'clock in the afternoon," I answer matter-of-factly.

I hear him groan in defeat, and promise he'll be down in a couple of minutes.

Our third roommate, Haymitch, announced last week he was leaving the apartment we shared for the last two years to go live over the bar he just opened with his pals. That wasn't much of a warning, but he was never on the lease, and he was just flaky like that.

I'm trying to put money aside to move in with Delly in the fall, so when Finn told me he knew someone who needed the room for three to four months, I was relieved we could find a new roommate on such short notice.

Finn explained he used to be a good friend of her boyfriend and that she had an internship to do in Boston. I didn't know the details.

It will be fun to have a girl around for a change, Finn is really sloppy and I'm tired of cleaning up after him, especially in the kitchen. Haymitch was even worse. I'm a caterer–slash–baker–slash–aspiring pastry chef who needs his kitchen squeaky clean.

I get dressed quickly, thinking I'll take a shower after my errands. Finn is still in his room and I'm starting to be pissed. It's like he wants to wreck my schedule on purpose. I hear the intercom beeping and curse under my breath as I buzz in what I can only expect to be the new roommate.

"Fuck, she's already here Finn," I shout towards his room.

I make my way quickly to open the door, knowing he's probably still in bed. "Please get your ass down here fast, I have to go in a—" I stop mid-sentence when my eyes meet a pair of stormy grey ones that have hunted my nights for many years.

She hasn't changed. Not really. She has the same olive skin that looks as soft as silk; the same dark chocolate braid that falls over her shoulder, the same full, glossy red lips that used to make me crazy.

She smiles.

My hearts skips a beat. Apparently, the effect she has on me hasn't changed either.

The girl I loved from afar for years, standing in front of me, her luggage in her hands.

"Hey, Peeta," she greets me casually.

I honestly didn't expect her to remember my name, and my heart starts beating widly.

My tongue feels rough and dry in my mouth as I say a name I haven't pronounced out loud in six years, "Hey, Katniss,"

And I'm sixteen all over again. I can't say a word. I let her in with a nod, my palms all sweaty and my breathing ragged.

Finn is standing on the mezzanine, all smiles. "Welcome, Katniss, where's Gale?"

My mind is going crazy; Finn did this on purpose, the fiend. He didn't even warn me. His "good old friend" was Gale Hawthorne, and his girlfriend, Katniss Everdeen: the girl I pinned after for longer than I cared to admit to myself.

"He's parking the car," she answers, her silky voice sending shivers down my spine and butterflies in my stomach.

Fuck my life.

**Thank you for your consideration, ;), and please review. **

**Elmo13**

And all the roads that lead you there were winding

And all the lights that light the way are blinding

There are many things that I would like to say to you

But I don't know how

I said maybe

You're gonna be the one that saves me

And after all

You're my wonderwall

_**Oasis. "Wonderwall**__**"**_


	2. New Life

**Thanks for the reviews, I hope this chapter pleases you guys. Unfortunately for some of you, the story will be mainly in Katniss POV.**

_I didn't propose to Delly that night. When the girl of your dreams shows up on your doorstep on the day you're supposed to propose to your girlfriend, that's got to be a sign, right? For a fleeting moment, holding that door open for you, I was afraid. After all, I was never supposed to see you again. You were a ghost, and it was impossible that a ghost could me make feel more alive. But it did. _

"He's parking the car," I say to Finn, looking around me.

It is a nice apartment, I'm impressed. Honestly, I didn't have any expectations. But with three boys living there, I wasn't prepared for it to be so neat.

It's a half-split two level, with a mezzanine overlooking the open concept living room and kitchen. I can see two bedroom doors on the mezzanine and one next to the living room, and the bathroom door next to the kitchen is half-way opened.

The kitchen is also a big surprise, it's huge, with brand new stainless steel appliances and an island that provides more counter space than I've ever seen. I lived in dorms for the past four years, and I don't really cook, but I can see how cooking here can be fun.

I turn back to Peeta, he looks sort of thrown aback. I wonder if remembers me, well, of course he remembers my name but I mean really remember. I haven't seen him in years.

He moved out of our little town at the end of sophomore year and I never saw him again. Mr. Mellark divorced his mom and left with the boys. My mother said Mrs. Mellark wasn't a very nice mom.

Peeta clears his throat and asks if I'm thirsty. I shake my head 'no' and he goes into the kitchen to get some water for himself.

We only really talked once, Peeta and I, right after my father's death. I was about twelve, Mr. Mellark came with a bunch of bread and buns from the bakery he owned, Peeta in tow, and they came in for tea. My mom started crying uncontrollably in the first few minutes and they put Peeta and me aside to talk amongst grown-up.

I said thank you for the bread, he nodded, pointed to a cheese bun, said they were his favorite. I told him they were my favorite too and he smiled weakly, before saying an "I'm so sorry for your dad" so low I almost didn't hear it. There were actual tears in his baby blue eyes, and it touched me.

We didn't run in the same circles. I was a loner, hanging out either with Gale or Prim, and he had a ton of friends. We never talked again, but I always thought of him as a sweet guy.

I look at him from the corner of my eyes. His blue eyes are the same, his ashy blond hair too, but everything else about him has changed drastically. He used to be short and a bit chubby, but now he is taller than me, though still medium height, with broad shoulders, a chiseled jaw and his once pasty pale skin is sort of tanned. He looks like he is hiding some serious muscles under his orange polo. _"Good job growing up, Peeta," _I think inwardly.

I switch to Finn, he was already eighteen when he moved, so he hasn't changed a lot. He's tall and well built, and still handsome, but I can tell the arrogance is still there.

He was one of Gale's good friends back home, but he used to irritate me too much with his smirks and cocky attitude. I usually avoided him.

"Sorry, we aren't done moving my furniture," Finn apologizes. "You can put your stuff in the living room for now."

"Kay." I bring my suitcase near the couch and pull of my coat. I still can't believe I'm going to be living here, in Boston, for a couple of months.

I was an English major with a minor in journalism in Albany, and I come from a small town called Yorkville in the state of New York. Albany is pretty much the biggest city I've been in since today, and I can feel the excitement rising in me.

The drive from Yorkville took about 6 hours with one stop to eat, but it had been the worst road trip ever. Gale and I got into a huge argument while putting my things in the car. We are both so stubborn we basically drove the whole way in silence. We always have heated fights, but this time, it was worse. First because we wouldn't see each other for a month after tomorrow, and second because of the actual reason we were fighting. We usually fought over meaningless things, but today, it was different.

I sigh, we really are at a crossroad in our relationship, and even though I love him and know I'll probably just give into him sooner or later, because we've been going out for five years and best friends for fifteen, I still want to see the world a little. Live outside the little community that has been suffocating me. White picket fences, babies and suburban life are not made for me.

Gale comes behind me and greets everyone.

I never doubted he was made for me. When he kissed me at my prom, I wasn't really surprised. Everyone back home expected us to end up together. I just never felt the need to haste things. He used to be okay with my need to take things slow, but not anymore.

Now, we have no more obstacles, in his mind, to just seal the deal and get married. That could be fine, except he's also being groomed to take over his father's business, in Yorkville.

When I finished school two weeks ago, Gale expected me to grab all my things and go back home immediately. It's impossible for him to understand why I applied for an internship in Boston, and why I'm not just dying to move back to the small town we grew up in, get engaged and have babies. Gale wants all of it, and I feel inept to give it to him.

I'm not wired that way. I've always known that. Gale keeps expecting me to "grow up" and want the things any woman wants.

Just thinking about it makes my blood boil again in anger. Why can't he understand I want more from life than being a small town wife? He openly disapproves of my plans for the summer and calls it a "crisis". That's pretty much the last thing he said before I stopped talking to him, six hours ago.

Gale shakes Peeta's hand, Finn embraces him in a manly hug, and they start chatting. I fidget beside them, unsure of what to do, biting my lips not to show how annoyed I really am.

"Let me give you a tour," Peeta offers nicely and I nod.

He shows me the bathroom, it's decent. I'm not a girlie girl by any means so the small size doesn't bother me. The living room and kitchen are already covered, so he quickly shows me his room on the mezzanine and explains that the one next to it will be mine, when they are done moving Finn's things.

He shows me the third room so I can see what my furniture will be like. They consist of a matching double bed and dresser and a small bookshelf.

"So, you're here for the summer?" He asks, trying to make small talk while Gale and Finn are deep in conversation, talking about some sport.

"Yep, about three and a half months to be exact, I got a intern position in publishing," I answer. "How long have you lived here?"

"In this apartment: two years. In Boston, well, since we left Yorkville," he clarifies and I nod again.

Gale's eyes meet mine when we come back in the living room. I avert his gaze, not ready to make nice yet. Finn and Peeta start discussing something between them.

Gale comes besides me and his large hand squeeze my shoulder.

He whispers: "Come on, Catnip, I don't want us to spend this last day together fighting. I'll miss you so much this month."

I almost rebuff him, almost say he is the one patronizing me. But instead, I relax under his touch and let myself lean against him. I don't want to fight anymore either. He turns me around plants a quick kiss on my lips before turning back to the Mellarks.

"Let's do this," he says enthusiastically and his voice is free from the resentment it held before.

The boys move the stuff around, refusing my help, and I begin to unpack. After they're done, we settle into the kitchen to drink a beer. Finn tells me about his girlfriend, Annie, and I'm pleasantly surprised he let go of his womanizing ways. Peeta is awfully quiet, I wonder if he's bothered by me moving in, because every couple minutes he throws me a peculiar look.

"Peeta, don't you have to buy everything for tonight's party?" Finn asks him.

"Yes, yes I do."

"There's a party here tonight?" I ask, trying not to sound too bothered, I'm just renting a room after all, but I don't like crowds and loud music.

"It's a going away party for Delly, Peeta's girlfriend," Finns explains, and Peeta looks uncomfortable for a second, I wonder why.

"Where is she going?" I ask him.

"To France, for two months," he says, and I get it, he must be sad she's going away for so long.

I should be sadder to be separated from Gale. The guilt starts nabbing at my heart again. I'm the insensitive girlfriend who plans her summer without including her boyfriend and Gale made it very clear I should feel like shit about it.

"Well, in that case, I better get some rest right now, I'm beat," I excuse myself to my new bedroom. I need a nap badly.

Gale doesn't follow me immediately, but when I wake up, his face is on my neck and his arms all around me. _"Everything will be fine,"_ I tell myself, it's just for a few months, nothing can go wrong. And I almost believe it.

I untangle myself from Gale and head for the bathroom. No one's in sight. The very long hot shower does wonders to my mood, and I change into something more appropriate for a party. I trade my old sweatshirt and sweatpants for a black laced cami and jeans.

Someone knocks on the door.

"Just a minute," I apologize.

I comb my wet wavy hair quickly. I haven't cut it in too long, it's beginning to be a little too high maintenance, but Gale loves it.

I come out of the steamy bathroom and run right into Peeta, waiting on a stool by the island.

"Sorry for the wait," I say with an apologetic smile. I have been in there for a long time, I hope he doesn't think I'll make a habit of taking half-hour long showers. I just needed to unwind a bit.

"No problem, I'm just running really late," he explains.

I can sort of feel the uneasiness coming from him again. It's like the words are caught in his throat; like he doesn't want to talk to me. I shrug as he goes past me, hoping I'm reading it wrong, because, if he's bothered by me already, it won't be a very fun summer.


	3. Hello, Goodbye

**A/N Hey guys, I hope you'll enjoy this chapter, I had no reviews last time so please, take a minute to review. **

**I absotulety love Peeta and Katniss together. I hope the next movie will be good, I think they downplayed the romance in the first one.**

_When I saw you coming out of that bathroom, with your long and wet dark waves running on each side of your face, I knew I was in big trouble. You were magnificent, the black lace top hugging your body in all the right places, and I realised you had changed. You were a woman. And even if I had often tried to picture what you looked like since I'd seen you last, my imagination hadn't done you justice. It took all my willpower not to just reach for you right there, and I was sure you'd seen the flash of inappropriate thinking in my eyes. Later, when I saw you were totally oblivious to the lustful glances almost every guy at the party sent your way, I realized you still had no idea, after all these years, the effect that you had._

I'm sitting on the loveseat, frowning at the unconscious figure in front of me, playing absentmindedly with my braid.

The first person to show up to the apartment after we ordered a pizza was Haymitch, the guy that used to live here. He arrived completely drunk, an hour ago, and fell on the couch, immediately snoring like a pig.

I squint at him, wishing him to disappear. He has long brown hair and a matching beard is starting to appear, making him look older than he probably is. His hair looks greasy and I don't know what to make of the fact that he stumbled in here half naked.

Gale is beside me, watching the hockey game with Finn. Haymitch don't seem to bother them. I'm almost begging for some distraction when the door opens.

A tall, lean, hippy looking girl enters the apartment. Her long brown hair is all in knots and she wears huge round glasses. Her attire is sort of peculiar, she's wearing a terribly long colorful scarf over her t-shirt that goes at least four times around her neck and her long black see-through skirt is touching the ground. She is very pretty, despite the weird fashion sense, and has the most delicate feature I've ever seen.

Finn introduces me and I'm pleasantly surprised that his girlfriend is nothing like the blonde bimbo I had imagined.

She chats with me a bit, but every couple minutes, her mind wanders without warning from topic to topic, making it difficult for me to follow. She talks loudly, gesturing a lot, and from what I get she's studying art here in Boston, and can't choose whether to choose sculpture, acrylics, watercolors or lithography as a main focus.

She's very theatrical, but seeing her exchange witty repartees and going toe to toe with Finn every time he teases her, I get why they're together.

Minutes pass. Gale is still riveted to the TV.

More people start showing up. I keep my spot next to Gale and feign to watch the game, looking at everyone from the corner of my eyes.

From what I can hear, there are a lot of Delly's friends here. Logical, since the party is for her.

I glance around the room. I tense up when I spot Haymitch is now awake, and staring directly at me.

"Hello, Sweetheart," he slurs. His voice is a bit rough and I raise my eyebrow at him. Does he think he can score with a girl, looking as dishevelled as he does?

He just stares at me for the longest time before talking again. I hold his gaze, staring blankly back at him.

He chuckles, "Had they told me a fine thing like you was moving in, I would have stayed."

"Well, since I'm taking your place; that would have been pointless," I answer matter-of-factly.

"Yes, of course. And this is your boyfriend, I presume."

Gale barely glances away from the television long enough to introduce himself. He doesn't even see Haymitch is holding his hand out for him to shake.

Haymitch observes him, an amused expression on his face, and turns back to me.

"Not very friendly, this guy," he point to Gail, making fun of him by mimicking his blank expression.

A small smile tugs at the corner of my lips. I should be annoyed at this guy, but his dry humor and my own frustration with Gale make a good match.

"All he cares about is this damn game," I complain out loud.

"I guess he would feel differently if he knew you'll be sleeping in my bed tonight," Haymitch taunts, winking at me.

I realize at once he means his old bed is now my bed, but Gale doesn't and he falls hook, line and sinker.

He jerks his head towards us, frowning nastily at Haymitch, his interest for hockey forgotten.

"What did you say?"

Haymitch and I laugh at his expense and Gale's frown deepens. I explain the joke to him and he grumbles, mad that I am on Haymitch's side.

Finn comes back from the kitchen with beers for everyone. Haymitch opens his and raises it towards me.

"You're always welcomed at my bar, sweetheart."

Gale gets up, saying he needs to go to the bathroom, but I know he's pissed.

I chat more with my new ally. He's brutally honest and a little rough around the edges. Just like me, I realize.

About half an hour later, he excuses himself to go quote "find something more powerful than beer", and I'm left alone again.

I walk towards Annie, who's opening some chips and peanuts.

"Where's Gale?" I ask, thinking I should go and try to smooth things over before we are at each other's throats again.

"He went with Finn on the roof."

"The roof?" I ask, surprised.

"Yeah, you didn't see it yet?" I shake my head, "Come," she adds.

She guides me outside the apartment and point to the emergency exit down the hall.

"You go through this door, climb two flights of stairs, a weird narrow ladder and you're there. The view is not much but we can see some buildings and the sky. The access is not blocked on the weekends because the super is cool and he keeps it open. I go up there sometimes to paint."

I make my way in the direction of the roof, climb the two flights of stairs, and I'm almost at the top of the ladder when I hear Finn and Gale talking.

"Man, could you keep an eye on her for me?" Gale's voice asks, filled with worry.

"On Katniss?"

"Yeah."

I stop dead in my ascension. My jaw tense up, and my knuckled grip the bars tightly. I'm fuming, how dare he ask Finn to report on my behavior, to spy on me?

"I mean, just tell me if something's wrong," Gale adds.

I backpedal, going back down the ladder. I'm so pissed at him.

As I go back, I start hearing voices coming from downstairs too. Two people are talking at the foot of the staircase. I recognize Peeta's voice. The other one belongs to a girl.

I don't mean to eavesdrop, so far it hasn't been working for me, but I can hear everything they're saying effortlessly because of the sound echoing on either side of me.

"Are you okay, you seem distracted?" The girl asks.

"Yeah, no, I'm just, I don't know," Peeta sighs before continuing: "I'm just going to miss you."

"Oh Peeta, I'm going to miss you too."

It falls silent. I'm pretty sure they're kissing down there and I don't want to intrude. But I just can't see Gale right now, and I can't stay on this ladder forever, so I finally step back onto the stairway and make my way down towards them as loudly as possible.

The girl, Delly I'm sure, has her arms around Peeta's neck, as they meet my gaze.

They separate a bit and Delly looks at me questioningly.

Peeta steps in: "Err— This is Katniss, our new roommate."

"Hi Katniss, I'm Delly."

"Nice to meet you," I try to smile, but I'm still raging inside about Gale. I'm afraid I don't make a good first impression. "_Anyway, she's leaving for France,"_ I tell myself. I quickly excuse myself and make my way back in the apartment. I go directly to my room and close the door behind me. I find my huge headphones in one of my boxes and lie on my bed. I hate parties. I hate Gale. I hate the world.

I listen to one of my alternative/metal mix eyes closed for a while. I like to listen it while I'm angry, but I admit it does not help calm me down. I'm startled when my headphones are ripped from me and open my eyes. It's Gale.

"Babe? What are you doing in here?" He asks.

"Leave me the fuck alone," I curse.

His demeanor changes from curious to annoyed. "What the hell happened to you?"

"What happened is my boyfriend his asking people to keep tabs on me," I hurl at him, unable to keep it in anymore.

He softens up, probably realizing he's in the wrong. "Katniss, I meant it in a good way."

"So, there's a good way to spy on people?" I spit at him.

"I meant it like he would keep an eye out for you, to see if you were okay," he explains but I don't buy it. It wasn't formulated that way.

"You don't need Finn to check if I'm okay, you can just ask me. No, you wanted him to check because you don't trust me."

He grabs in face in frustration. "I trust you, Katniss, I just, I don't understand why you're doing all this."

"Because I want to." It's as simple as that. I want to do this internship. It's a good opportunity and I want to be able to take it without apologizing to anyone.

"And that's always enough, isn't it?"

I narrow my eyes at him; he better take that back. "What are you implying?"

"Nothing. Nevermind. We fought enough already, you want to do this, fine." He sighs, looking defeated.

"Fine,"

We say "fine", but we're both bitter, and we fall asleep our backs to each other, not talking. "_What a nice way to spend our last night together_," I think sarcastically.

The next morning, Gale tries to mend bridges and my anger falters, knowing he has to go soon and that despite everything I'm going to miss him. When he starts kissing me, I let him. There's something desperate in his kiss I've never felt before, and I feel guilty again, for causing him stress and anguish.

"God, Catnip, I'm going to miss you," he whispers.

"Me too," I answer, forcing myself to open up to him.

We make love that morning, but before long he has to go and my heart does pinch when he kisses me goodbye. I tell myself again the time apart is only a handful of weeks, and that Gale will be alright. Will I be is the real question.

**Please review.**

**Elmo13**


	4. PDA

**A/N Hey guys, here's the update, I hope you like it and thanks to the very few who took the time to review. **

_I heard you and Gale that morning. You were not loud by any means, but the wall wasn't thick enough to spare me. I knew it didn't make sense, but I was jealous. I had spent the better part of my teenage years observing you, and seeing him hover around you to keep the other guys at bay. Maybe, if he didn't exist in high school, I would have found the nerve to speak to you. Maybe. Maybe, if he didn't exist that summer you moved in with us, I would have found the nerve to finally go after what I wanted. Maybe._

I finish unpacking during the rest of the afternoon, alone in the apartment. Both Mellarks are working today. I google the publishing house again, making sure I know exactly how to get there tomorrow morning. I don't want to be late for my first day.

I heat up a slice of pizza for supper, still alone. I decide to give my sister Prim a call. She's back home for the summer, after her first year at college. Prim is such a good student, she's working her ass off at school, trying to earn a scholarship. Her dream is to get into medicine. She already has healer hands and the most compassionate heart; she would be an amazing doctor. Prim is my favorite person in the world, even before Gale. I'm going to miss her terribly too, but I know she'll be working everyday to earn as much money as she can. She tells me all about her new job at the pharmacy and how lucky she is they chose her. They are the lucky ones, and I tell her so. She just laughs.

I just hung up when Finn and Peeta arrive.

Peeta was catering for a baptism today and Finn went to help him out. It apparently lasted longer than planned and Finn is angry. I listen to them bickering about what went wrong with the mini quiche for a minute before retreating into my room.

I'm surprised when Finn knocks on my door a minute later, all smiles, to ask if I want to go to the movies. This fight sure hasn't last long.

I'm soon walking alongside Peeta down the street; Finn and Annie in front of us.

He's not saying a word now, giving me the weird sideway glances again. I'm starting to get annoyed. I never did anything for him not to like me so why is he acting so cold? I'm almost about to ask when his phone rings.

"Sorry, got to take it, it's the bakery," he apologizes politely before taking a few steps back. We are almost there anyway, I realize, when I see the theater is right to our left.

Annie is talking loudly and animatedly about her new art project and she's taking so fast, I can't understand half the words she's saying. I can tell Finn is lost too. Then, he stops her by putting a lingering open mouth kiss on her lips.

I take a few steps back too. I feel out of place, I shouldn't have come. Peeta's not talking to me and I can't count on Finn or Annie to make small talk. I play nervously with my braid. Maybe I could still go home, fake a headache or something. Bottom line, I do want us to get along.

I take a deep breath and decide to stick to it. We enter the theater and I regret my decision immediately because, when his lips aren't glued to Annie's anymore, Finn insists to see the new satiric comedy and Annie agrees. Peeta is still on his phone talking about a cake and just follows us. I sigh quietly, it's not really my kind of movie, but since I want to bond with them somewhat –so they don't throw me out– I keep silent. I'm starting to feel like that ship has sailed tonight. I sit closest to the aisle, next to Peeta. He finally closes his phone but still, not a word to me.

The movie is the most boring, unfunny, badly written thing I've ever seen at the theater. I look to Peeta, he's staring blankly at the screen, and I don't dare say anything in case he likes it.

About forty minutes into the movie, Annie and Finn start kissing. At first, it's just a few restricted kisses, but it quickly turns into a full blown make out session. I don't want to look, really, but they are soon grasping at each other's hair and just as the movie is getting really loud, Finn almost embark on Annie's seat to held her closer to him, his tongue all over her.

I can't help but blush when I realized people around us are looking and pointing at them. They start whispering among themselves louder and louder, but the two of them seem oblivious to the fact that almost everyone behind us is watching them and not the movie.

The way they are fondling each other leaves nothing to the imagination. Their movements are so clumsy and jerky it is almost comical.

Peeta shifts into his seat, inching closer to me, trying to distance himself for the couple, his body in a weird angle. Peeta turns towards me, and when I see the brotherly disgusted grimace plastered on his face, I start giggling in silence, a thing very out of character for me. The absurdity of the situation added to my nervousness from before and to the way people are staring at the unrestrained couple is getting to me.

I hold a hand over my mouth to silence myself. Peeta's eyes stay on me and his unease quickly turns into amusement as a small smile appears on his lips. Annie lets out a loud whimper behind him and I'm struggling to hold it in. Peeta covers his mouth too, trying to disguise a giggle into a dry cough. Finally, when someone comes behind us to snap a picture of them, we both crack, erupting loudly into laughter.

That, at last, catches Finn's attention and he straightens up, going back into his seat and giving Peeta and I a questioning look.

I sober up, but Peeta is still trying to catch his breath, and people are giving us nasty looks.

I grab his arm boldly, "Let's leave before they make us."

He follows me instantly, and we hurry towards the exit. Once outside, we erupt in laughter once again, I cannot remember the last time I laughed so hard. It's nice.

"God, that was awful," I exclaim, both talking about the movie and the situation.

"Horrible," he agrees.

"I thought you liked it," I admit and he chuckles.

To my delight, the weird tension between us is gone. We decide to get ice cream on the way back, and we talk. He's easy to talk to, and he's such a good listener I find myself talking more than I usually do about my own stuff.

I can't wrap my brain around how many job he's juggling to become a pastry chef quickly. I tell him all about my upcoming internship, even admitting to the fact that I could have gotten one in Albany but wanted a taste of the big city.

"So, what kind of movies to you actually like?" I ask him.

"You're going to think I'm a big nerd," he shies away coyly.

"I won't," I promise him.

"Well, I like science fiction the best," he admits, and he must really think I'm someone else if he thinks I'm going to make fun of him for liking science fiction. I don't enjoy romance comedies, or horror films or even dramas but science fiction, I can handle.

I put him at ease. "I like science fiction too, my dad used to make us watch Star Wars with him all the time."

He seems surprised; I guess he figured I was a chick flick kind of girl.

"My ultimate favorite is the Fifth Element," he says.

I never watched it, I thought it seemed unrealistic and a bit weird. I tell him so, he just chuckles.

"I'll have to fix that."

I smile. "I guess you will,"

"I'm off tomorrow night," he offers and I nod in agreement, thinking how crazy it is that Peeta and I are becoming such quick friends when he didn't seem to like me one bit a couple of hours ago.

**So? Do you guys like it so far? What do you want to see happen in this story? Do you want more Haymitch, more Annie and Finn? Do you want me to concentrate on K/P or talk a it about her job and friendship outside of the house?**

**Would you mind if I updated on Sundays?**

**Do you think I need a beta?**

**Please review.**

**Elmo13**


	5. Running

**Sorry for the wait. I got a bit discouraged last time at the lack of response, but I'm back now, with realistic expectations. **

_I had always dreamed of being in your life. If friendship was all I could reasonably expect from this twist of fate, then I would be sure to be the best friend you ever had. No matter how torturous this friendship would end up being. _

My first week in Boston passes in a flash. The change is going to take some getting used to, but I already made a friend at work. Rue is so tiny I can't believe she's my age; she looks even younger than my sister Prim. She's there as a junior assistant, like me. Another boy and girl complete the team, but I don't like them as much. Cato, the guy, is a bit cocky and Glimmer is just too naive and frankly vapid for my taste.

The internship is mostly divided into two types of days. When the editor-in-chief, Effie, is there, I have to be at her beck and call every minute of the day, because she chose me on Monday as her new assistant. The other interns tell me it's because she likes me the best, but I would prefer if she didn't. When she's not there, however, I finally get to do some real work, like I did today.

I eat supper alone at the apartment, Peeta works late on Friday and Finn is MIA. I don't have any plans for the week end, but I'm still happy I get to have a bit of time to myself. I want to start exploring Boston.

Peeta wanted to take me to his favorite places around the city, but he has to work this weekend, so we took a rain check. I did make him promise to watch my favorite movie with me sometimes this weekend.

We watched The Fifth Element on Tuesday and I loved it, can't believe I always thought it was lame.

After cleaning up, I decide to take a walk around the block to familiarize myself with my new neighborhood and after receiving a text from Haymitch, I end up at his bar, accepting his invitation to "see his gig". I have never been one for the bar scene but I actually like it there. It's not too noisy and not as crowded as I imagined. It's an Irish style pub that also serves a bit of food. Haymitch tells me it's still early and that most customers will show up a couple of hours later. I decide to hang out with him a bit.

I find Haymitch is an easy person to talk to, and by the end of the hour I end up opening up to him about my issues with Gale.

"So, sweetheart, what's the deal with you and tall dark and handsome? Why is he such a sour puss?" He asks, handling me my third beer of the night.

"He just doesn't get that we don't have to rush into this. You know?"

"Into what?"

"Marriage, kids, the house with a white picket fence," I clarify. I'm babbling because I'm a little drunk, but it feels good to talk about it, to a guy.

"Oh, he's one of _those_."

I smile because Haymitch's disgusted grimace is enough for me to know he'll never be that kind of man.

"Yeah, it wants it all. The problem is he wants it all _right now_."

"You ask me, he just wants to seal the deal because he's afraid you're going to run."

"I'm not running," I defend myself.

"Aren't you?"

And with that comment he leaves to tend to a few customers, and I'm left in a drunken haze, wondering what I'm really doing here, in Boston. Am I running away from Gale?

I wake up the next morning with a bit of a hangover. I whine, getting up to pee and fumble around in the bathroom, looking for Tylenol or Advil to ease my pain. I find some and make my way into the kitchen to get water. The oven is flashing 9:30, and I decide to go back to bed. I wake up a couple of hours later, feeling a hundred times better.

I then notice the delicious smell coming out of the kitchen and working its way into my bedroom. I re-braid my hair quickly and walk out to look for the source of the smell.

To my delight, I find Peeta in the kitchen, in his pyjamas, making cheese buns.

"Good morning," he greets me with a smile, putting a plate in front of me as I sit into a stool around the island.

"They smell sooo good," I compliment him.

"Well, wait until you taste one," he says before putting one in my plate. They are still hot from the oven, a real treat.

I break off a piece and put it in my mouth. It basically melts into my tongue and I hum in satisfaction.

"You're an amazing cook."

"Thanks, did you have a good day yesterday?" He asks nicely.

I tell him how relieved I was to find out Effie never works Friday and how I got to spend the day with Rue doing actual work. He tells me all about his day and the preparation he did for tonight's wedding.

"I can't believe after cooking all this stuff yesterday you took the time to make breakfast today," I tell him.

"What can I say, cheese buns are my favorite,"

"Me too," I say excitedly as I grab another one. "

Peeta grins mysteriously. I want to ask why but Finn interrupts my thoughts, coming out of the bathroom.

"You should call Gale back, Kat, he called me yesterday, saying you didn't answer your phone, asking where you were," he says.

"I was at Haymitch, I must have not heard my phone," I pause, I feel a bit guilty for forgetting to call him, we promised to talk every day, but I'm also annoyed that he disturbed Finn for it. "I'll call him back," I continue. Finn nods.

I grab a third cheese bun and Peeta laughs at my voracious appetite. "God, I'm going to get fat living here," I joke, and thank him for the buns.

I go get my phone and see I have five missed alerts. Four missed calls and one text from Gale asking where I am.

I call him back. He seems pissed. I explain I went to Haymitch and didn't hear my phone ringing.

"And you didn't even think to check your phone when you left?"

I pout in annoyance at his question.

"I was a little drunk, okay?" I explain, knowing the conversation is slipping towards a dangerous territory.

"Since when do you go to bars anyways?"

I sigh, my headache coming back.

"I was worried," he adds.

"Okay, okay, I'll remember to put it on vibrate next time," I concede, not wanting to start my weekend with a fight.

He sighs too, and lets it go. He tells me about his work and the problems he's having with his father. They don't always see eye to eye on the future of the company, and I know it puts a lot of stress on him.

"Sometimes, I just feels like he wants me to be someone else," he explains, and as he says the words, it rings so true to how I feel about him, I realize Gale is just a bit too much like his dad.

I spend the day wandering around in the by ward market near downtown. They closed the streets for the weekend for the event and people are selling things right there in the streets, anything from handmade jewelry to flowers, fruits, or clothes. I grab a bite to eat before coming back home, deciding to turn in early tonight and watch a movie or something.

I catch a movie on TV I'd been meaning to watch for a while, and after that become engrossed in a documentary on Egyptology. How amazing would it be to travel to Egypt and see and these monuments build thousands of years ago?

I'm getting sleepy, but I really want to see how this ends. I decide to rest my eyes for a second.

I wake up the next morning, in my bed. I look around, confused for a second. Then, I remember the pair of strong arms that fetched me from the couch to bring me up to my bedroom. He picked me up like I was a feather and nestled me in bed, probably getting back from catering really late and finding me snoring on the couch. I smile.

**Please review, you don't know how motivating it can be and how much it can help me overcome my writer's block.**

**Elmo13**


End file.
